For Mercy's Sake

• Romania still suffers from its history of 40 years under Communism. http://www.relieffundforromania.co.uk/why_help_romania.html#1 (Relief Fund for Romania)

• Some 6.5 million Romanians live in poverty: Of this number 2.4 million live in extreme poverty and another 1.2 million can't afford basic food rations. CASPIS study 2004

• 95% of Romanian households in parts of the northeast have no running water, 10% can't afford to connect to the electricity supply, and there are no other social services for an area of 24,000 people. http://www.relieffundforromania.co.uk/why_help_romania.html#1

• 2/3 of the poor live in rural areas and the most affected individuals (40%) are children or aged through the age of 24. http://www.relieffundforromania.co.uk/why_help_romania.html#1

• Every fifth Romanian child is exploited. Some 900,000 of the approximately five million children there are forced to work. Approximately 300,000 of these are forced into hard manual labor. Most are illiterate, as they've been withdrawn from school in order to work. About 89% of exploited children live in rural areas. Study by UNICEF, Ministry of Labour Romania and the Bureau of International Labour Affairs May 2004

• Romania has the third highest infant mortality rate in Europe, with 18 deaths per 1000 people. Mother and Child Institute, Bucharest April 2004

• The abortion rate is five times higher than any other western European country. These are not abortions of convenience, but of survival. Mothers can't feed the mouths that are already in their home. For Mercy's Sake believes the people of God have no right to ask heaven to end abortion until we do something about the children that are already here and uncared for.

• The problem of the high number of orphans and orphanages (around 150,000 children live in orphanages) began in 1966 when abortion and contraception were made illegal in an attempt to build up a Communist workforce. This problem has been sustained because giving up children is now a part of the culture. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Romania-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html
  
• A poor Romanian family will most likely be made up of six or more members, including at least four children. It will probably be headed by an elderly woman with only primary education who is unemployed, self-employed, or is a subsistence farmer with less than two hectares of land. Most likely the family is a Roma (gypsy) family. Roma are 3.5 more likely to be poor than other Romanians.
  http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Romania-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html (Encyclopedia of the Nations)

(Encyclopedia of the Nations)

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Romania-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html (Encyclopedia of the Nations)

• There are approximately 6-10 million Roma worldwide. Approximately 5-8 million of these are in Europe. Romania's Roma population exceeds half a million. (nationmaster.com)

• They are outcasts. They are persecuted. They do not receive the same care medically or the same privileges educationally as other people groups. The doors for honest employment are closed to them. Resources for economic improvement are non-existent. Their hope is gone.